News of the World
02-22-2026, 11:32 PM
USA
Quote:The crazed gunman who was shot dead after trying to enter Mar-a-Lago with a shotgun and a gas can has been identified as a North Carolina artist who was reported missing by his mom.
Austin Tucker Martin, 21, of Cameron, North Carolina, was killed by law enforcement in the early hours of Sunday morning, law enforcement sources told The Post.
He was reported missing by his family to authorities on Saturday.
Officials are still investigating whether he bought the gun en route to Florida.
Trump was not at Mar-a-Lago at the time, he was at the White House. On Saturday night, he and first lady Melania hosted the Governors Dinner — which Democratic governors appear to have boycotted.
A box for the shotgun was discovered in Martin’s vehicle following the shooting, which took place at around 1:30 a.m., according to Secret Service spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi.
According to his social media, his family was frantically looking for him after he disappeared on Saturday night.
Tucker Martin’s social media shows that he was obsessed with drawing scenes from the golf courses in the Sandhills region — which includes the famed Pinehurst.
His Instagram includes a series of bleak watercolors and black and white sketches, most appearing to show Quail Ridge Golf Course, roughly 15-20 miles north of his home in Cameron.
The posts are accompanied by sparse electronic music and have almost zero social media intraction.
Investigators haven’t said whether Martin was previously known to law enforcement.
Authorities have urged nearby residents in south Florida to check their security cameras for any footage that may show him.
He was shot after he failed to drop the shotgun and gas can when he entered the inner perimeter of President Trump’s Florida estate.
Martin reportedly drove into the gates of Mar-a-Lago as another vehicle was leaving.The president is yet to respond officially to Sunday’s incident, but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt praised the Secret Service’s quick thinking in a post on X.
“The United States Secret Service acted quickly and decisively to neutralize a crazy person, armed with a gun and a gas canister, who intruded President Trump’s home,” she wrote.
She also used the post to slam the “reckless” actions of the Democrats who triggered a partial government shutdown affecting the Homeland Security department since Feb. 14.
“Federal law enforcement are working 24/7 to keep our country safe and protect all Americans. It’s shameful and reckless that Democrats have chosen to shut down their Department,” Leavitt said.
FBI Director Kash Patel said that the bureau would be “dedicating all necessary resources” to the investigation, in a post on X.
It comes just five days after a Georgia man armed with a shotgun was arrested outside the US Capitol as he sprinted towards the west side of the building.
Quote:The unhinged ex-CUNY professor who savagely held a machete to the neck of a New York Post reporter now has a permanent, taxpayer-funded art installation in the Bronx.
The NYC Department of Cultural Affairs ignored Shellyne Rodriguez’s infamous past by green-lighting a $407,000 budget for her 23-foot-tall brick, steel and terracotta Marxist monstrosity called “Phoenix Ladder: Monument to the People of the Bronx.”
It was unveiled in November along Grand Concourse and Morris Avenue — a little more than two years after she copped a wrist-slap plea deal with Bronx prosecutors for her assault on veteran New York Post scribe Reuven Fenton.
The permanent work, commissioned by the city through the Percent for Art program, is sandwiched in a thicket of residential buildings and hailed as a testament to the borough’s resiliency after the arson spree during the tumultuous 1970s.
The monument– which already has cracks along its foundation — is adorned with images of the phoenix, a mythological symbol of rebirth; a series of piercing eyes; four clenched fists signifying black power/socialist solidarity, and the home borough letters “B” and “X.” On top of the structure is an ascending black ladder without an end.
“If abolition is not solely about what we dismantle, but also about what we build in its stead, then what monuments or points of gathering will we, the collective body of the dispossessed who make life on the periphery of empire, make for ourselves as stewards of our own histories and futures,” she told Hyperallergic in November.
The installation was first commissioned in 2018 through the city’s Percent for Arts program, which sets aside 1% of budgets for city-funded construction projects to create new artwork, as part of a now-completed $62.5 million reconstruction of the Grand Concourse.
A panel of local elected officials, art experts and community board members chose Rodriguez, who pocketed $81,400, as 20% of the budget for each piece of art created through the Koch administration-era program is set aside to pay an “artist fee,” city officials said.
Bronx residents bashed the piece as a polarizing eyesore.
“Somebody who’s violent; there’s better people who should’ve been given the opportunity,” said Frankie Santiago. “It looks like a piece of junk.”
Quote:TSA PreCheck and Global Entry, two major frequent flier airport security programs, were briefly suspended Sunday by the Department of Homeland Security — with Secretary Kristi Noem blaming the partial government shutdown that began just over a week ago.
The Transportation Security Administration quickly reversed its decision and said PreCheck would still operate — though courtesy escorts for members of Congress and other VIPs would be suspended.
The programs allow fliers to bypass the main lines at airports in favor of expedited processes, which are more automated and have less screening.
TSA PreCheck allows fliers to get through security lines faster and more easily — by not forcing them to remove laptops from bags, for instance.
Global Entry allows travelers arriving in the US to use kiosks to speed through border controls.
“This is the third time that Democrat politicians have shut down this department during the 119th Congress,” DHS head Noem said in a statement.
“Shutdowns have real world consequences, not just for the men and women of DHS and their families who go without a paycheck, but it endangers our national security,” she added.
“The American people depend on this department every day, and we are making tough but necessary workforce and resource decisions to mitigate the damage inflicted by these politicians.”
The partial government shutdown started Feb. 14 following a funding deadlock between Republicans and Democrats. Lawmakers on both sides agreed to fully fund the rest of the government outside DHS through Sept. 30, but the Homeland Security funding bill proved tricky due to Democrats’ demands for sweeping reforms to immigration enforcement.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and US Customs and Border Protection remain largely funded because of the GOP’s passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act last year.
Other DHS programs, such as the Coast Guard, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) are not fully funded.
“TSA and CBP are prioritizing the general traveling population at our airports and ports of entry and suspending courtesy and special privilege escorts. FEMA will halt all non-disaster related response to prioritize disasters,” Noem explained. “This is particularly important given this weekend another significant winter storm is forecast to impact the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast United States.”
Quote:The Transportation Security Administration abruptly reversed course on suspending its PreCheck service Sunday — saying it will remain operational despite a statement from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
“At this time, TSA PreCheck remains operational with no change for the traveling public,” a TSA spokesperson told The Post.
“As staffing constraints arise, TSA will evaluate on a case by case basis and adjust operations accordingly,” the spokesperson added. “Courtesy escorts, such as those for Members of Congress, have been suspended to allow officers to focus on the mission of securing America’s skies.”
The DHS had said that it was temporarily “ending Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck® lanes and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Global Entry service,” due to the partial government shutdown.
TSA Pre is a paid service that allows frequent fliers to get screened through an expedited process at airports where they keep their laptops in the check-in bags, among other accommodations.
It typically costs about $85.
The DHS has been partially shut down since Feb. 14 due to a funding lapse in Congress caused by a deadlock over the Democrats’ demands for sweeping reforms to immigration enforcement policy.
The Post contacted the DHS for comment on the reversal and for clarification on whether Global Entry is continuing as well.
Quote:Despite backlash over Florida lawmakers approving a bill to rename Palm Beach International Airport after President Donald Trump, the move would place him among a growing list of commanders in chief whose names already greet travelers on airport terminals across the country.
If finalized by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Federal Aviation Administration, Palm Beach International would become the ninth commercial U.S. airport named after a president, joining hubs from New York to Houston.
The name change would go into effect on July 1 if signed into law, according to reports, making Trump the first to receive the honor while still in office.
Palm Beach International Airport holds particular significance, as it is located just minutes from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate, which serves as his primary residence.
Following approval by the Florida House and Senate, some Democrats in the Sunshine State pushed back, citing concerns over the cost of rebranding and what they described as a lack of community input, Fox News Digital previously reported.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, meanwhile, took to X to say the name “has a GREAT ring to it.”
Here are eight commercial airports that already bear the names of former presidents.
The Airports1. Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport (SPI)
Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, Illinois, was renamed in 2004 to honor the 16th president, whose longtime home and political base were in the state capital.
Lincoln’s name was added to the airport’s existing name — the facility first opened as Capital Airport in 1947 — according to the Sangamon County Historical Society.
2. Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport (DIK)
Dickinson Municipal Airport opened in 1959 and was later renamed Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport to honor President Theodore Roosevelt, reflecting the region’s connection to the nearby Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the president’s legacy in the North Dakota area, according to reports.
3. Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT)
Wichita’s airport was renamed Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport in November 2014 to honor the 34th president, who considered Kansas his home state, following a citizen-led petition effort, according to the airport’s website.
4. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
John F. Kennedy International Airport was renamed just weeks after Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963, with New York City officials voting in December to change the name from Idlewild Airport in his honor.
The new name was formally unveiled on Christmas Eve 1963, making it one of the swiftest presidential airport renamings, according to “The Bowery Boys,” a popular New York City history blog.
5. Gerald R. Ford International Airport (GRR)
Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids was renamed in 1999 to honor the 38th president, a longtime Michigan resident who represented the area in Congress for more than two decades before ascending to the White House, according to the airport’s website.
6. Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport was renamed in 1998 after Congress passed legislation changing the name from Washington National Airport to honor the 40th president, according to the airport. The bill was signed into law by President Bill Clinton, marking the first time the airport’s name had been changed since it opened in 1941. The renaming came nearly a decade after Reagan left office.
7. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
Houston Intercontinental Airport was renamed in 1997 to honor former President George H.W. Bush, becoming George Bush Intercontinental Airport four years after he left office, according to the Texas State Historical Association.
The change recognized Bush’s longtime ties to Houston, where he lived and built much of his political career.
8. Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT)
In March 2012, Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport was unveiled, replacing the former Little Rock National Airport/Adams Field designation to honor the former president, a native Arkansan, and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for their long-standing ties to the southern state.
Quote:New York’s mind-boggling $124 billion taxpayer-funded Medicaid program is riddled with fraud and waste, US regulator Dr. Mehmet Oz said Sunday — and dogged federal investigators are digging into it.
“In the beautiful city of New York and surrounding New York state, we know that there are a lot of people who are providing services that we don’t think are legitimate, that are costing the taxpayers a lot of money,” said Oz, who heads the US Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, on 77 WABC’s “Cats Roundtable” program.
“That ends up not only hurting taxpayers, but it hurts the actual people who are vulnerable. … who need these services,” he told host John Catsimatidis.
“The dishonesty around some of these programs, in Medicaid in particular, costs a lot of money that has stripped the guts out of the affordability of these systems,” the celebrity doc said.
Oz did not provide specifics, but his office is probing aspects of New York’s massive program, an insider told The Post.
Medicaid is the public-health insurance program for the needy, and New York has among the most generous programs in the country, covering services provided in hospitals, nursing homes and a growing home-care industry amid an aging population.
More than 6.8 million New Yorkers — 34% of the state’s population — are currently covered by Medicaid.
As The Post recently reported, a 2022 federal audit accused New York drivers of swiping up to $196 million from a badly managed Medicaid transportation program through rides that “did not meet or may not have met Medicaid requirements.”
The money was paid to companies enrolled in the Non-Emergency Medical Transportation program.
The Post also recently uncovered how the state allegedly lost $1.2 billion in taxpayer money to scammers through the Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program and how it spends up to $400 million a year on Social Adult Day Care centers, which mostly duplicate the offerings of senior centers.
Quote:Over 3,000 flights have been canceled at major Big Apple airports as a historic blizzard threatens to bury the region in at least two feet of snow, reports said.
With perilous conditions expected to batter the Northeast Sunday, several major airlines grounded flights Saturday at key hubs, including JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, and airports in Philadelphia and Boston — and the number is expected to skyrocket once snow begins to fall, according to FOX Weather.
Major carriers, including Delta, American, and United, scrapped flights in the New York City area and Boston’s Logan Airport ahead of the massive nor’easter, with JetBlue cutting 40% of its Sunday schedule, according to FlightAware data reviewed by the outlet.
The carrier also canceled 24 percent of its flights scheduled for Monday.
American Airlines will suspend operations at LaGuardia, JFK, and Philadelphia starting Sunday afternoon, with flights expected to resume Tuesday.
“Teams across the airline are working around the clock and will be ready to resume operations at the affected airports Tuesday, Feb. 24 as soon as the conditions allow airlines to safely do so,” the airline said in a statement, WABC reported.
Cancellations and delays could stretch through Wednesday, as major airlines roll out winter travel waivers for impacted airports, the outlet reported.
The monster storm is set to hit Sunday and rage into Monday, bringing wind gusts over 60 mph and snow falling up to 3 inches per hour, threatening power outages and coastal flooding for more than 30 million people from Delaware and Maryland to New York and Boston, forecasters said.
Quote:Millions along the East Coast are set to get hit by a massive blizzard that could drop as much as 24 inches of snow on the Northeast, forecasters warned.
New York City is expected to be hit with up to 20 inches of powder, with heavy winds up to 60 miles per hour. Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency for the city, Westchester County, and Orange County.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani warned New Yorkers to stay inside, but declined to give a concrete answer on whether homeless people would be forced off the streets for their own safety just weeks after more than a dozen froze to death.
Hizzoner also declared a travel ban across the five boroughs starting at 9 p.m. Sunday.
More than 1,700 flights in and out of the NYC-metro area have already been canceled as of Sunday afternoon. While the Big Apple’s subway system will to operate on modified service during the onslaught, the Long Island Rail Road will shut down, and Metro-North will run on a holiday schedule Monday, with weekend schedules in place on branch lines.
DoorDash will halt its delivery service by 8:30 p.m., just before Mamdani’s travel ban begins.
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Quote:San Diego beaches have been shut down after a wave of storms sent bacteria levels soaring along the coast — with health officials warning beachgoers to stay out of the water.
Multiple shorelines across San Diego County were closed at the weekend following days of heavy rain that triggered contaminated runoff, NBC 7 San Diego reported.
The closures stretch from Imperial Beach through the Silver Strand and up to Coronado, officials said. Elevated bacteria levels in the ocean prompted the county to post yellow hazard signs advising swimmers and surfers to steer clear.
Health officials routinely issue advisories for about 72 hours after significant rainfall, when stormwater runoff can carry bacteria, debris and pollutants into the surf.
Despite the warnings — and temperatures hovering in the low 60s — crowds still flocked to Coronado’s picturesque shoreline Saturday as gray skies gave way to sunshine.
“We were just going to go visit the beach, we just wanted to look at it but it was just a little bit too cold to actually go in the water,” Katie Peterson, who was visiting with her family, told NBC 7.
Several surfers ignored the caution tape and paddled out anyway, taking advantage of calmer conditions after days of stormy weather. Others were more hesitant.
“I was just a little confused because I was like, ‘Oh wow it’s a beach, but we can’t really go in the water,’” Lizzie Peterson told the network.
County officials urged residents to take the advisories seriously, warning that swimming in contaminated water can cause illness.
Quote:Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos revealed that there are problems with the DNA evidence collected from Nancy Guthrie’s house that could take up to a year for the private Florida lab he’s using to resolve.
Local cops recovered DNA from the missing 84-year-old grandmother’s home that does not match her, family members, or people who worked in the home — but it is mixed with Guthrie’s DNA and the samples are not complete, he revealed to NBC News last week.
“Our lab tells us that there’s challenges with it, and we understand those challenges,” he said.
“But our lab also knows that the technology is moving so fast and in such a frenzy that they think some of this stuff will resolve itself just in a matter of weeks, months or maybe a year, to allow them to do better with, say, a mixture of that kind of thing.”
Nanos said the DNA could be from the man who abducted “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie’s mom — but so far the lab has been unable to match the sample to any of the convicted criminals or suspects in the FBI’s CODIS database.
It’s not clear why Nanos is using a private lab in Florida for the samples and not FBI labs or Arizona’s state Scientific Analysis Bureau.
As the search for the 84-year-old mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, 54, entered its fourth week, the FBI is continuing to analyze cellphone data, video, and interviews.
However, despite releasing security footage of a suspect over a week ago, Sheriff Nanos, who has been accused of letting his ego dictate the investigation, stated that his officers had no suspects or a list of names.
This despite multiple local businesses claiming they were shown lists of names and pictures by the FBI.
“It’s never fast enough for the sheriff. I want it like you, ‘Come on, guys, let’s go, let’s go, let’s find her,'” Sheriff Nanos told NBC News on Friday as he acknowledged the investigation’s delays.
Quote:Four Colombian nationals were arrested, including three at an airport with one-way tickets out of the country, after prosecutors say they posed as immigration judges and federal agents to target migrants.
Three of the Colombian nationals arrested were identified as siblings Daniela Alejandra Sanchez Ramirez, 25, Jhoan Sebastian Sanchez Ramirez, 29, and Alexandra Patricia Sanchez Ramirez, 38.
Federal prosecutors said all three were arrested at Newark Airport in New Jersey with one-way tickets to Colombia.
The fourth individual was identified as Marlyn Yulitza Salazar Pineda, 24.
She was arrested at a restaurant in New Jersey.
A fifth defendant in the partially unsealed indictment is still not in U.S. custody.
“The defendants brazenly stole their victims’ money and deceived them by sending fictitious documents and holding sham court proceedings,” Joseph Nocella Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.
The group allegedly impersonated judges, law enforcement officers and lawyers to orchestrate sham immigration proceedings held over videoconference.
Court documents contain two representative photos of two of the virtual “proceedings” with faces blacked out.
Victims were led to believe that their immigration cases had been resolved, resulting in victims missing their actual appearances in immigration court, according to prosecutors.
At least one victim who mistakenly believed her immigration issues were resolved was ordered to be deported due to the scheme, prosecutors said, noting that the order was later reversed.
The group is also accused of lining their pockets and the pockets of their coconspirators in Colombia by laundering tens of thousands of dollars of victims’ funds.
The group operated a fictitious law firm and solicited prospective “clients” primarily through Facebook, prosecutors alleged, adding that they charged fees ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars “for nonexistent legal advice and services.”
Quote:A gunman accused of shooting dead a world-famous Caltech genius last week was let out of jail just two months ago despite a felony gun charge, the California Post has learned.
Freddy Snyder was released by a judge using an “unnecessary prosecutions” law in December — before allegedly going on to kill Carl Grillmair in Llano last week.
The 29-year-old was picked up two days before Christmas for carrying a loaded firearm and an attempted jail escape, but was released on his own recognizance.
The felony case was suddenly dismissed under the Penal Code 1385 California, often referred to as PC 1385, a code ultimately decided by the judge.
It is unclear why Snyder’s charges were dropped by the judge under the code. The electronic court records did not provide the name of who was overseeing the case.
DCD Law, an LA law firm, said: “The key standard for dismissal under Penal Code 1385 is the “interest of justice.
“This means the court looks beyond technical rules and focuses on what is fair. The judge considers the nature of the offense, the circumstances of the accused, and public interest.
“The defense can request dismissal, but the judge must agree. Sometimes, prosecutors can also move to dismiss charges. However, the final decision rests with the judge.”
Snyder is accused of gunning down 67-year-old Grillmair at his remote home in Antelope Valley, California, on Monday.
Police responded to a 911 call and found the astrophysicist bleeding from his torso on the front porch of his house. He was given life saving measures but pronounced dead at the scene.
A nearby car jacking call came in soon after leading authorities to Snyder.
The sheriff said: “While investigating the shooting call, Palmdale Sheriff’s Station deputies also responded to a carjacking call. The suspect who committed the carjacking was arrested.”
Snyder was formally charged with murder, carjacking, and burglary. His bail was set at $2 million. Grillmair was a beloved scientist who worked on NASA’s Spitzer Space telescope.
GREENLAND
Quote:COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Denmark’s military said its arctic command forces evacuated a crew member of a U.S. submarine off the coast of Greenland for urgent medical treatment.
The Danish Joint Arctic Command, on its Facebook page, said the crew member was evacuated on Saturday some 7 nautical miles (8 miles; 13 kilometers) off Nuuk — the capital of the vast, ice-covered territory — and transferred to a hospital in the city. The crew member was retrieved by a Danish Seahawk helicopter that had been deployed on an inspection ship.
Also late Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced plans to deploy a hospital ship to the Danish autonomous territory of Greenland, alleging that many people there are sick and not receiving care — prompting a defense of Denmark’s health care system from Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen.
“Working with the fantastic Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, we are going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there. It’s on the way!!!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, referring to his special envoy for Greenland.
Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen, speaking to public broadcaster DR, said Danish authorities had not been informed that the ship was on its way.
The historically strong bilateral ties after World War II between NATO allies Denmark and the United States have come under severe strain in recent months as Trump ratcheted up talk of a possible U.S. takeover of the mineral-rich and strategically located Arctic island.
Frederiksen defended Denmark’s health care system on Sunday, writing on Facebook that she was “happy to live in a country where there is free and equal access to health for all. Where it’s not insurances and wealth that determine whether you get proper treatment.”
“You have the same approach in Greenland,” she said, before adding: “Happy Sunday to you all” in front of a blushing, smiling emoji.
Trump sends hospital ship to Greenland — after Denmark helped evacuate US Navy sailor from submarine
Quote:WASHINGTON — President Trump said Saturday that he was dispatching a hospital boat to Greenland shortly after news broke that Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command evacuated a crew member from a US Navy submarine.
Danish defense minister Troels Lund Poulsen publicly claimed that his government had not been briefed on Trump’s plan and that there was “no need for special health care efforts” in Greenland.
Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen was more blunt: “It’s a no thank you from here.”
Trump wrote in a signed Truth Social post late Saturday: “Working with the fantastic Governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, we are going to send a great hospital boat to Greenland to take care of the many people who are sick, and not being taken care of there.”
Landry was appointed special envoy to Greenland after Trump repeatedly said he wanted to buy or otherwise take over the territory, which is controlled by NATO ally Denmark.
The US Navy has two big hospital ships in its fleet, the Comfort and the Mercy.
Trump’s post came just before he hosted GOP governors at the White House.
The medical incident impacted at least one crew member, who needed urgent treatment, while stationed on a US submarine in Greenlandic waters, Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command revealed Saturday.
That individual was then transferred via a Danish Defense Forces Seahawk helicopter to Greenland’s capital, Nuuk.
MEXICO
Mexican resort town, airport under siege after army kills major Jalisco New Generation cartel leader
Quote:A major Mexican resort town was under siege on Sunday as drug cartels lashed out after the leader of the brutal Jalisco New Generation Cartel was killed in a military raid, authorities said.
Tourists in Puerto Vallarta were warned to stay indoors as narco gangs went on a rampage following the death of drug kingpin Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera Cervantes, the powerful boss of the violent crime outfit.
The US State Department urged Americans to shelter in place, and some American tourists have reported being trapped in the region.
“We are here at a hotel in the hotel zone,” one stranded tourist posted online. “Staying put until we get the all clear. All of the businesses in the area have closed.”
Mexican officials reported on the violence throughout the day.
“Federal forces carried out an operation in Tapalpa a few hours ago, which has led to clashes in the area,” Jalisco Governor Pablo Lemus Navarro said on X.
“Also as a result of said operation in various points of that region and in other parts of Jalisco, individuals have burned and blocked vehicles with the aim of hindering the actions of authorities.”
Navarro added that much of Jalisco was in a “code red.”
“We reiterate the recommendation to avoid leaving your homes,” Navarro said. “The clashes are occurring in several federal entities.”
Mexican officials said cartel thugs began setting blazes throughout Jalisco to block federal forces during the raid, the Spanish-language news outlet El Universal reported.
The chaos has hotels in the Pacific Ocean vacation spot of Puerto Vallarta holed up inside their hotels as cars and barricades burn in the streets.
As panic spread throughout the region, reports surfaced of gunfire at Guadalajara International Airport — with one video posted online showing what appear to be passengers running for shelter.
In a statement later in the day, the Pacific Airport Group said the Mexican National Guard had been dispatched to the bustling airport but maintained it was operating as usual.
ITALY
Quote:Investigators have launched a manslaughter probe into the harrowing death of a guard at a Winter Olympics construction site as the international sporting event comes to a close.
Pietro Zantonini, 55, reportedly died from a heart attack while working a Jan. 8 overnight shift at the then-under construction Olympic venue in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
An autopsy confirmed the medical emergency was brought on by the freezing temperatures – but now prosecutors are evaluating if there is more to the story.
Zantonini, a resident of the coastal city of Brindisi, was stationed by the Cortina Olympic Stadium when it was just 10°F, according to Italian media outlets.
He began having trouble breathing at around 2 a.m. but by the time an ambulance was called to the scene, he was already dead.
Investigators are looking into any potential “aggravating circumstances” – such as unsafe word conditions – that may have contributed to Zantononi’s death, according to Open.
The Italian outlet reported that despite the below-freezing temperature, Zantonini only had a small heater with him as he braved the cold from a tiny temporary enclosure.
Zantonini reportedly complained about his working conditions leading up to his death. He was allegedly worried about his long overnight hours and the lack of protective measures in place at the site, per Open.
In the aftermath of his death, Italy’s Infrastructure Minister Matteo Salvini called for a thorough investigation into the matter.
Simico, the government agency responsible for Olympic infrastructure, said in a statement at the time that it did not oversee the site where Zantonini died.
IRAN
Quote:Iranian police officers are gang-raping imprisoned female protesters and then cutting out their uteruses to cover up the horrific torture – before shipping their lifeless bodies home to their families, according to a shocking new report.
Prisoners suspected of participating in the nationwide anti-regime demonstrations that shook the nation last month are being terrorized, raped, and slaughtered daily by groups of militant police officers behind bars, an Iranian source told News Nation.
“I am most worried about the people who got arrested,” the source, who witnessed the massacre of protesters, said.
“They are raping men and women in jail. They are being raped every day by [a] group of police. We are not people to [the regime]. People are getting raped in the jail every day,” they continued.
“They will hurt you. They will punch you. They will dig your nails out of your skin. They are biting them. The people who are arrested will not be fed. They are being killed by the government every day in jail.”
An Iranian refugee also told the outlet that they and others who were locked up were gang-raped at gunpoint by masked men and turned into “sexual slaves” who were mocked for their opposing beliefs.
Some female detainees were allegedly mutilated in an attempt to conceal the militants’ barbaric sexual abuse.
“Some of the women’s bodies that were returned to their families were missing their wombs so that the crimes could not be traced or investigated,” the refugee added.
“To be honest, most families did not pursue the matter further in order to avoid even more suffering.”
One haunting photo obtained by the outlet showed the body of a woman imprisoned in Bojnord, with “clear signs of torture and trauma” when returned to her family 25 days later, the refugee said.
Shaghayegh Moradiannejad, an Iranian photographer who escaped the country with her family five years ago, pressed that torture has “always been the regime’s method.”
“During interrogations, they squeeze their breasts, use obscene and degrading language, and subject them to sexual abuse,” she told News Nation.
Iran’s security forces have arrested more than 50,000 people suspected of participating in the protests, with detainees including students, children, lawyers, doctors and more, according to activists.
Quote:Noor Pahlavi’s heart breaks as she watches her people suffer in Iran – a land in which she never stepped foot, yet remains forever in her blood.
The exiled princess recounted in a wide-ranging interview with The California Post the horrors inflicted on protesters, parents and even children during a crackdown by the same brutal regime that deposed her grandfather, the Shah of Iran, 47 years ago.
Kids have been shot in the street, doctors persecuted for treating anti-regime protesters and scores of Iranians abducted for secretive interrogations, often never to return, Pahlavi said.
“Imagine if this were happening to you and your country,” she said. “It’s happening at the hands of the government, the government that’s meant to protect them.
“It’s literally a government waging war on its own citizens. It’s just incredibly painful to watch, to hear about. And it’s hard for people here to see and hear about. But it’s our responsibility not to look away.”
Pahlavi’s passionate plea for regime change comes as the protests against the regime persist, on the streets of Iran and worldwide – including a massive rally in her newfound home of Los Angeles.
The protests run parallel with President Trump’s renewed saber rattling against Iran. He has sent two aircraft carriers to the Middle East as he weighs a military strike, giving Tehran a 10-day ultimatum.
The confluence of pressures from inside and outside Iran shows the regime has never been so ripe for change, Pahlavi said.
“It’s never been this close, and the regime has never been this weak,” she said.
”The need for regime change can’t be stressed enough. A reformist won’t do it. And, you know, they’re [the Iranian people] being extremely clear.
They’re dying for something specific. And we need to listen to them.
”The people really listened when the president told them that help was on the way and that they should continue taking to the streets. They’ve named streets after him. They’re holding up signs with his face on them. They’re begging him to come in and help them because they’re fighting this government empty handed.
Quote:Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed Saturday that Tehran will not “bow” to foreign pressure as war tensions mount with the US amid ongoing nuclear talks – even as Washington rolls out its biggest military buildup in the Middle East since the Iraq invasion.
“World powers are lining up to force us to bow our heads,” a defiant Pezeshkian said on state TV.
“But we will not bow our heads despite all the problems that they are creating for us.”
The remarks come as tensions soar over Iran’s atomic program, with President Trump warning the nation it has just 10 days to make a nuclear deal or face devastating airstrikes on its weapons facilities.
An anticipated attack could also be directed at the Islamic Republic, potentially targeting Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, two US officials told Reuters.
Trump has not ruled out the use of military force against the theocratic regime, and his military buildup in the region mirrors the one he amassed near Venezuela before the Jan. 3 raid to capture strongman Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
“They have something for every scenario,” one Trump adviser told Axios of the Pentagon’s plan.
“One scenario takes out the ayatollah and his son and the mullahs. What the president chooses no one knows. I don’t think he knows.”
The Iranian dictator — whose brutal crackdown on nationwide protests last month has killed at least 7,000 — also threatened on social media to sink US warships. Trump had vowed to come to the protesters’ rescue, but has thus far declined to take military action against Iran.
“It is entirely possible we will see the regimes fall in Iran, in Venezuela and in Cuba, and we could also see governments replace them that want to be friends with the United States of America,” Texas Senator Ted Cruz told Fox News’ Sean Hannity Wednesday night.
The Republican said he told the president Iran’s regime is “teetering” and that the US has an opportunity to take military action, arguing that toppling it would mark the “most consequential geopolitical shift” since the fall of the Berlin Wall.
"For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Thessalonians 5:9
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
![[Image: SP1-Scripter.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Scripter.png)
![[Image: SP1-Writer.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Writer.png)
![[Image: SP1-Poet.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-Poet.png)
![[Image: SP1-PixelArtist.png]](https://www.save-point.org/images/userbars/SP1-PixelArtist.png)
![[Image: SP1-Reporter.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/GmxWbHyL/SP1-Reporter.png)
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
Maranatha!
The Internet might be either your friend or enemy. It just depends on whether or not she has a bad hair day.
My Original Stories (available in English and Spanish)
List of Compiled Binary Executables I have published...
HiddenChest & Roole
Give me a free copy of your completed game if you include at least 3 of my scripts!
Just some scripts I've already published on the board...
KyoGemBoost XP VX & ACE, RandomEnkounters XP, KSkillShop XP, Kolloseum States XP, KEvents XP, KScenario XP & Gosu, KyoPrizeShop XP Mangostan, Kuests XP, KyoDiscounts XP VX, ACE & MV, KChest XP VX & ACE 2016, KTelePort XP, KSkillMax XP & VX & ACE, Gem Roulette XP VX & VX Ace, KRespawnPoint XP, VX & VX Ace, GiveAway XP VX & ACE, Klearance XP VX & ACE, KUnits XP VX, ACE & Gosu 2017, KLevel XP, KRumors XP & ACE, KMonsterPals XP VX & ACE, KStatsRefill XP VX & ACE, KLotto XP VX & ACE, KItemDesc XP & VX, KPocket XP & VX, OpenChest XP VX & ACE
